I think everyone has that one song (or songs) whose lyrics they totally botch.
When I was a kid, I used to think in the song “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” The Four Tops were singing, “I’ll be damned,” rather than, “I’ll be there.” (“And Iiiiiiiii’ll be damned!”)
I still maintain Smashing Pumpkins’ “Bullets With Butterfly Wings” would be a better song with MY lyrics, which would be, “Despite all my rage, I’m still just ready to cave” NOT, “Despite all my rage, I’m still just a rat in a cage.”
One of my brothers-in-law thought AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” was, “Dirty feet, I ain’t got none shoes.” (HAH, I know, awesome, isn’t it?)
My favorite one recently is Far East Movement’s “Like a G6,” which, for the record, I did know the lyrics to, but laughed out loud when Chris texted me saying one of his employees thought the lyric was, “Fly like a cheese-stick.” (“Like a cheese-stick, like cheese-stick.”)
What lyrics do you totally fudge up? Any bands (Smashing Pumpkins, I’m looking at YOU) whose songs you think would be better off with your lyrics?
I knew a guy in college who thought that Nelly’s “Must be the Money” song was really saying, “Haaaaaay! HOUSEKEEPING PARTY!”
He was not much of a winner.
To this day, I maintain that “Bad moon on the rise” is actually “Bathroom’s on the right” YOU WILL NOT CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE.
My best friend growing up always thought that the Rolling Stones’ “Beast of Burden” was “Easter Bunny.” As in, “I’ll never be your Easter bunny…”
I’ve never let her live that down.
Am I total geekwad that I know this phenomenon is called a “mondegreen”?
Don’t answer that. I know I’ve misheard tons of lyrics, but I can’t recall any at the moment.
Oh, I blogged about this, too! http://www.suburbansweetheart.com/2010/10/take-heed-cause-im-lyrical-poet.html I love the cheesestick line, though. That’s tops.
My most recent one was to Jason Derulo’s “Ridin’ Solo”– I thought he was saying “I’m not a cholo”! B even pointed out to me that they literally spell out “s-o-l-o” in the song too…
I thought the exact same thing about theat Smashing Pumpkins song. Glad I’m not the only one. But I think it is better that way too.
I don’t know that I have a suggestion as to what I’d like to change, but I do remember calling you feeling utterly victorious when I figured out the lyrics to “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” by Deep Blue Something.
Best when singing along so here goes – And I said what about BAT and she said i think I remember the film and I said I think we both kinda liked it and she said well that’s one thing we got.
I think we used to sing it like and I said what about BAT blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, the film, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, kinda liked it, blah, blah, blah, we got.
Higher Love – I swear, listen to it, the chorus sounds JUST LIKE he’s saying “Bring me a pie of love.”
LISTEN.
Oh, and Eric Clapton singing “Forever man.” I used to ask my mom for the “four legged man” song.
Melissa Etheridge’s song “I Wanna Come Over.” I thought she said, “I wanna come over, to hell with the concert plans” when it’s really “to hell with the CONSEQUENCE.”
I also thought Seal was saying “To me you’re like a rolling dictionary” instead of “…like a growing addiction” in “Kiss From A Rose.”
These crack me up!
I was driving to work today and realized that I’ve been getting the lyrics wrong for Morrissey’s “Certain People I Know” (and of course I instantly thought of your post!).
The lyrics go: “I’d hate to be like certain people I know
They break their necks and can’t afford to get them fixed”
I always thought the lyrics were “They break their necks and count to four to get their fix.”
My son calls the song that the Muppets sing the “Banana Nut” song. I think it’s real title is the “Manamana Song” or something like that. He comes by it honestly, though. I still think the song “Centerfield” by John Fogerty says “Put me in cold, I’m ready to play” instead of “Put me in Coach, I’m ready to play”. My line makes perfect sense- he is sitting on the bench and not warmed up (ie, cold), but he still wants to go in the game. See- perfect sense! I can see you shaking your head at me, just like my husband does. 🙂
I thought the that the song “Bad Moon Rising” by CCR was saying “There’s a bathroom on the right” but it actually said “There’s a bad moon on the right”…I like my way better.
Jon thought that in John Mayer’s song “83”, my Jon thought that J.Mayer was saying “Oh make me a rat cage, I want to be superman” but it actually says “oh make me a RED CAPE, I want to be superman”